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KevinMD's Take, March 25, 2013

In an emotionally-charged post, a physiatrist explains why she works part time to help balance family and work life.

"Trust me, I feel guilty that I can’t work the hours some physicians work," she writes. "Sometimes I wonder what’s wrong with me, that I can’t seem to juggle the same number of balls as some other women. But I have found a balance of career and family life that seems to work for me."

She shouldn't feel guilty. Physicians deserve balance, and gone are the days where they devote their lives entirely to the profession. It's up to hospitals and clinics to adjust to this new reality.

But given the transparency of health information to patients, as well as the growing scope of practice for nonphysician providers, he worries "that the medical traditionalists may ultimately end up being on the wrong side of history."

Already, there are medical schools that take a year off of training for students interested in primary care. The movement to shorten medical training has already begun.

Kevin Pho MD is the founder of KevinMD.com, the web’s leading destination for provocative physician commentary on breaking medical news. Klout named KevinMD.com the web’s top social media influencer in health care and medicine. The Wall Street Journal called KevinMD.com a “punchy, prolific blog that chronicles America’s often dysfunctional health care system through the prism of a primary care provider,” while others have noted that “a lively comment stream on one of Kevin Pho’s posts provides more insight on the day-to-day realities of health care than any piece of journalism can ever hope to impart.” Kevin received his medical degree and completed residency at Boston University School of Medicine and is a member of the 2010 class of New Hampshire’s 40 Under Forty, recognizing the state’s emerging leaders. He is board certified in internal medicine and practices primary care in Nashua, New Hampshire.

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